And Yet More Crapota Problems..

[ColoradoSkiCountry]

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it was recalling 600,000 Sienna minivans sold in the United States to address potential rusting spare tire cables that could break and create a road hazard in the latest safety problem to strike the beleaguered automaker. The recall came as House investigators said they planned to hold another congressional hearing in May to review potential electronic problems in runaway Toyotas. The Japanese automaker has recalled more than 8 million vehicles because of faulty accelerator pedals, humbling a car company long known for its quality and safety.

 

Company leaders vowed to respond quickly to the safety concerns.

 

Toyota said its latest recall covered the 1998-2010 model year Siennas with two-wheel-drive that have been sold or registered in 20 cold-climate states and the District of Columbia. Toyota said rust from road salt could cause the carrier cable that holds the spare tire to rust and break, allowing the tire to tumble into the road. The problem could threaten the safety of other drivers.

 

Toyota said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had received six complaints of spare tires falling off Siennas.

 

The company said it was working on a fix for the problem. In the meantime, customers will receive a notice telling them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for an inspection.

 

The recall involves Siennas in the District of Columbia and the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

 

"Toyota is listening to its customers attentively, and we want to make sure their voices are heard," said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota's chief quality officer for North America.

 

St. Angelo said the company was providing free inspections of the spare tire carrier cable across the nation, including states not included in the recall. Owners can call (800) 331-4331 for more information about the recall.

 

Lawmakers remain focused on the spate of recalls affecting the company. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., a subcommittee chairman, said they plan to hold a May 6 hearing to look into potential electronic causes of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

 

Toyota has said it has found no evidence of electronic problems, attributing the issues to sticking gas pedals and accelerators that can become jammed in floor mats.

 

Toyota said in a statement Friday it was "more than willing to meet with the committee and discuss the ongoing testing related to our electronic throttle control system, as well as the steps we are taking to improve our quality assurance processes. Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive."

 

The Transportation Department has fined the company $16.4 million for failing to promptly notify the government about defective gas pedals among its vehicles. Toyota has until Monday to agree to the penalty or contest it. The fine is the largest civil penalty ever issued to an automaker by the government.

 

Transportation officials have not ruled out additional fines. The department is reviewing whether Toyota delayed for six weeks the late January recall of the 2009-2010 Venza in the United States to address floor mats that could entrap the accelerator pedal after making a similar recall in Canada.

 

Toyota recalled the Venza in Canada in December and reported to the U.S. government on Dec. 16 that the floor mats could move forward while the vehicle is in use and "may interfere with the accelerator pedal." Toyota told U.S. authorities at the time that the floor mats in question were not imported into the U.S. but the Venza was added to the floor mat recall in late January.

 

Automakers are required to notify the U.S. government within five business days when they find a potential safety defect.

 

Waxman and Stupak, meanwhile, have asked Toyota and outside consulting firm Exponent Inc. to provide documents detailing a review of possible electronic problems in its vehicles. Exponent, which was hired by Toyota, said in an interim report it could find no evidence that electronic malfunctions had caused sudden unintended acceleration.

 

Committee investigators said in February that the Exponent testing was flawed because it studied only a small number of Toyota vehicles and consumer groups have said electronics could be the cause of the acceleration problems. Reviews of some high-profile crashes in San Diego and suburban New York have failed to find either mechanical or electronic problems.

[truckofwinandawesome]

There's only ONE Minivan that Rules the Minivan Scene, and It proudly Displays the Pentastar!

[revrnd]

270,000 as well in Canada.

[KMGZ400]

There's only ONE Minivan that Rules the Minivan Scene, and It proudly Displays the Pentastar!

 

 

nah.. the chrysler minivans are pieces of shit... but there are a lot of them around.

[2005LT]

Toyota.....the three ring circus continues

[Denali_Joe]

[ColoradoSkiCountry]

Around here, everyone dumped their Chrysler minivans when the newer Honda and Crapota minivans came out.

[jro909]

the plymouth caravan/town and country were the best selling grocery carts on the market...minivan is on my list of things never to do when i'm chained to a wife and facing a midlife crisis

[ColoradoSkiCountry]

Up until Honda came out with the 2nd generation Oddyssey and Crapota came out with the 2nd Generation Sienna.. Then sales went to hell on the Caravan and rightfully so. They are smaller, suffer from crappy reliability issues (typical Chrysler product) and are not as powerful. Sorry but Chrysler let themselves get run over by Honda and Crapota.

 

I drove an 88 Plymouth Voyager with the Mitsubishi 3.0L V-6 while I was in High School. Just a basic minivan, and it ran well. Only problem we ever had with it was vapor lock in the middle of Idaho. A new fuel pump and fuel filter solved that issue. Never a mechanical issue other then that and the fact that it started smoking at around 90,000-100,000 miles- typical of Mitsubishi & Chrysler engines, even now a days. Crappy Piston Rings. But again, that was a basic vehicle back then, none of the stupid complicated crap they have added onto vehicles since then. My Dad got a 96 Dodge Caravan as a company vehicle. Had the 3.3L engine. ALL KINDS OF ISSUES! 3 Water Pumps, Air Bag issues, ABS issues, alignment issues, electronics issues (radio and instrument cluster) about the only thing that did not give us any issues and held up well was the transmission. I sure hope their products have improved since then because it was a major turn off for me on Chrysler products.

[Metro12]

Kinda funny.....their spare tires are falling off....ours won't come off no matter how hard you try!! (unless you service/grease it once a year!)

[ATMINF]

I had two Chrysler minivans, one was a 2005 Dodge Gran Caravan with a 3.8L and then a newer 2008 Chrysler Town and country. The 2005 had no problems at all. It was loaded with every option and never had any issues. The 2008 on the other hand had alot of small issues that made my wife lose confidence in its build quality. Overall after the third electrical issue, my wife wanted to trade it in. I told her to take a look at the Chevy Tahoe’s, Suburban’s and Traverse. She really liked the Traverse and just bought it. We got the Military pricing special (I am sure it is similar to the GM supplier Pricing), plus the $2000 rebate and $750 USAA discount. All in all for me not being there, I think the wife did a good job, and was able to get it for $36K out the door, and it was stickered at around $41K. I am happy since now she is happy.

Back to the subject, I would have no problem recommending the older Chrysler mini-vans with the 3.8L motor but my experience with new generation one has left me cold. And the only reason why we bought them was back in 2005 the GM mini-vans really did suck, and I was not going to buy a Japanese Mini-van. It’s too bad they have gone so downhill in the QAQC department. The 2008 had some great features; I just wish it did not have so many problems.

[truckofwinandawesome]

I had two Chrysler minivans, one was a 2005 Dodge Gran Caravan with a 3.8L and then a newer 2008 Chrysler Town and country. The 2005 had no problems at all. It was loaded with every option and never had any issues. The 2008 on the other hand had alot of small issues that made my wife lose confidence in its build quality. Overall after the third electrical issue, my wife wanted to trade it in. I told her to take a look at the Chevy Tahoe's, Suburban's and Traverse. She really liked the Traverse and just bought it. We got the Military pricing special (I am sure it is similar to the GM supplier Pricing), plus the $2000 rebate and $750 USAA discount. All in all for me not being there, I think the wife did a good job, and was able to get it for $36K out the door, and it was stickered at around $41K. I am happy since now she is happy.

Back to the subject, I would have no problem recommending the older Chrysler mini-vans with the 3.8L motor but my experience with new generation one has left me cold. And the only reason why we bought them was back in 2005 the GM mini-vans really did suck, and I was not going to buy a Japanese Mini-van. It's too bad they have gone so downhill in the QAQC department. The 2008 had some great features; I just wish it did not have so many problems.

 

well, at least the Men and Women of Spring Hill CARED about their Jobs, but GM decided Tennessee was not good enough, and sent Traverse Production to Michigan. oh, and BTW, for Future reference, Don't buy the First Year of a New Design. the First year ALWAYS has Teething Problems, but once the second or third year rolls around, the Vehicle is Pretty much sound. Take our trucks for Example, I Believe that The GMT900 had some teething problems in 2007, like electrical problems, water leaks, wind noise, etc,etc. by 2008, and 2009, the problems are all but gone! (Knock on Wood!)

[Doug_Scott]

Toyota.....the three ring circus continues

 

 

Every GM I have owned so far (17 and counting) has had at least one recall. Latest being my 08 G5. Just got a notice about the electric power steering failing, and that they will give me a call once they have enough replacement parts on hand to fix it. I spent 5 years working as a Chrysler mechanic, and made a good living on the recall/campaign work they provided. Point is, mass production creates mass failures sometimes, regardless of who it is.

[ColoradoSkiCountry]

Just think. If you owned a Toyota, you could probably expect 5-6 recalls in the life of that vehicle Good thing you got a GM!

 

Toyota.....the three ring circus continues

 

 

Every GM I have owned so far (17 and counting) has had at least one recall. Latest being my 08 G5. Just got a notice about the electric power steering failing, and that they will give me a call once they have enough replacement parts on hand to fix it. I spent 5 years working as a Chrysler mechanic, and made a good living on the recall/campaign work they provided. Point is, mass production creates mass failures sometimes, regardless of who it is.

 

[truckofwinandawesome]

Toyota.....the three ring circus continues

 

 

Every GM I have owned so far (17 and counting) has had at least one recall. Latest being my 08 G5. Just got a notice about the electric power steering failing, and that they will give me a call once they have enough replacement parts on hand to fix it. I spent 5 years working as a Chrysler mechanic, and made a good living on the recall/campaign work they provided. Point is, mass production creates mass failures sometimes, regardless of who it is.

 

 

I might be picking your brain in the future...Got 2 Chryslers in the Driveway, one Furd, and 2 Chevys.